U.S. patent application number 16/512717 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-14 for vehicle front structure.
This patent application is currently assigned to HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. The applicant listed for this patent is HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY KIA MOTORS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Hee Seouk CHUNG, Deok Hwa HONG, Hyun Sik KIM, Byeong Cheon LEE.
Application Number | 20200148270 16/512717 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 70469100 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-14 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200148270 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHUNG; Hee Seouk ; et
al. |
May 14, 2020 |
VEHICLE FRONT STRUCTURE
Abstract
A vehicle front structure for a vehicle may include: a front
side member disposed on a front of a vehicle; and a front end
member coupled to a front end of the front side member. In
particular, the front end member includes a main body which is
coupled to the front side member to be aligned, and a lateral
reinforcement portion which extends from the main body toward an
outboard side of the vehicle.
Inventors: |
CHUNG; Hee Seouk;
(Hwaseong-si,, KR) ; LEE; Byeong Cheon; (Seoul,
KR) ; KIM; Hyun Sik; (Seoul, KR) ; HONG; Deok
Hwa; (Suwon-si,, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA MOTORS CORPORATION |
Seoul
Seoul |
|
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
Seoul
KR
KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
70469100 |
Appl. No.: |
16/512717 |
Filed: |
July 16, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D 25/082 20130101;
B62D 25/084 20130101; B62D 21/152 20130101; B62D 21/155
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B62D 21/15 20060101
B62D021/15; B62D 25/08 20060101 B62D025/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 14, 2018 |
KR |
10-2018-0140081 |
Claims
1. A vehicle front structure, comprising: a front side member
disposed on a front of a vehicle; and a front end member coupled to
a front end of the front side member, wherein the front end member
includes: a main body coupled to the front side member to be
aligned, and a lateral reinforcement portion extending from the
main body toward an outboard side of the vehicle.
2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the
lateral reinforcement portion has a plurality of ribs extending
along a width direction of the vehicle, and wherein ribs of the
plurality of ribs are spaced apart from each other in a height
direction of the vehicle.
3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the
lateral reinforcement portion and the main body are formed as a
unitary one-piece structure.
4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the
main body has a receiving space in which the front end of the front
side member is received.
5. The vehicle front structure according to claim 4, wherein the
main body has a retention protrusion which protrudes from an inner
surface of the main body toward a center of the receiving space,
and a front end surface of the front side member overlapped and
joined to the retention protrusion.
6. The vehicle front structure according to claim 4, wherein the
main body has a partition configured to divide the receiving
space.
7. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the
front end member has a mounting projection on an upper surface of
the lateral reinforcement portion, and a radiator support member
overlapped and joined to the mounting projection.
8. The vehicle front structure according to claim 7, wherein the
mounting projection has a first wall which is offset from a front
end of the lateral reinforcement portion toward a rear end of the
lateral reinforcement portion, and a pair of second walls which are
disposed on both sides of the first wall.
9. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the
front end member has an abutting surface on a rear surface of the
lateral reinforcement portion, and a lower end of a front apron
member overlapped and joined to the abutting surface.
10. The vehicle front structure according to claim 9, wherein the
abutting surface has a first contact surface extending along a
width direction of the vehicle, and a second contact surface
extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
11. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the
front end member further includes a plurality of support ribs
connecting between a rear wall of the lateral reinforcement portion
and an outer surface of the main body.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0140081, filed on Nov. 14,
2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle front structure
capable of effectively supporting an external load.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The statements in this section merely provide background
information related to the present disclosure and may not
constitute prior art.
[0004] In general, a vehicle body includes a main frame and a
subframe, and the subframe includes a front subframe connected to a
lower front end of the vehicle body, and a rear subframe connected
to a lower rear end of the vehicle body.
[0005] The front subframe may support an engine, a transmission, a
suspension, and the like, and facilitate the transmission of a load
while ensuring structural stiffness of the vehicle. In particular,
the front subframe should be firmly mounted on the vehicle body,
which makes it easy to ensure the basic performance of the vehicle
such as crashworthiness, NVH, and R&H.
[0006] The vehicle front structure includes a pair of front side
members spaced apart from each other in a width direction of the
vehicle. A front end of the front subframe may be coupled to a
front end of the front side member through a plurality of
reinforcing members, and a front apron member, a radiator support
member, and the like may be coupled to the front end of the front
side member through a plurality of reinforcing members.
[0007] The front end of the front side member may support the front
subframe, the front apron member, and the radiator support member
in three axial directions (a longitudinal direction, a width
direction, and a height direction of the vehicle), thereby
supporting a load which is transmitted in the three axial
directions.
[0008] However, an existing vehicle front structure has the front
subframe, the front apron member, and the radiator support member
which are coupled to the front end of the front side member through
the plurality of reinforcing members, resulting in increased weight
and material cost.
[0009] We have discovered that the front subframe, the front apron
member, and the radiator support member are coupled to the
plurality of reinforcing members via a flange coupling structure,
and thus this structure causes weak support stiffness with respect
to the front end of the front side member.
[0010] The above information described in this background section
is provided to assist in understanding the background of the
inventive concept, and may include any technical concept which is
not considered as the prior art that is already known to those
skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
[0011] An aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle front
structure capable of stably supporting a load, which is transmitted
in three axial directions, by a front end member provided at a
front end of a front side member.
[0012] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle
front structure may include: a front side member disposed on a
front of a vehicle; and a front end member coupled to a front end
of the front side member, wherein the front end member may include
a main body which is coupled to the front side member to be
aligned, and a lateral reinforcement portion which extends from the
main body toward an outboard side of the vehicle.
[0013] The lateral reinforcement portion may have a plurality of
ribs extending along a width direction of the vehicle, and ribs of
the plurality of ribs may be spaced apart from each other in a
height direction of the vehicle.
[0014] The lateral reinforcement portion and the main body may be
formed as a unitary one-piece structure.
[0015] The main body may have a receiving space in which the front
end of the front side member is received.
[0016] The main body may have a retention protrusion which
protrudes from the inner surface of the main body inwardly toward
the center of the receiving space, and a front end surface of the
front side member may be overlapped and joined to the retention
protrusion.
[0017] The main body may have a partition by which the receiving
space is divided.
[0018] The front end member may have a mounting projection on an
upper surface of the lateral reinforcement portion, and a radiator
support member may be overlapped and joined to the mounting
projection.
[0019] The mounting projection may have a first wall which is
offset from a front end of the lateral reinforcement portion toward
a rear end of the lateral reinforcement portion, and a pair of
second walls which are disposed on both sides of the first
wall.
[0020] The front end member may have an abutting surface on a rear
surface of the lateral reinforcement portion, and a lower end of a
front apron member may be overlapped and joined the abutting
surface.
[0021] The abutting surface may have a first contact surface
extending along a width direction of the vehicle, and a second
contact surface extending along a longitudinal direction of the
vehicle.
[0022] The front end member may further include a plurality of
support ribs connecting between a rear wall of the lateral
reinforcement portion and an outer surface of the main body.
[0023] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. It should be understood that the
description and specific examples are intended for purposes of
illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the
present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0024] In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there
will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of
example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a partial plan view of a vehicle front
structure according to an exemplary form of the present
disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates a partial perspective view of a vehicle
front structure according to an exemplary form of the present
disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of a front end
member in a vehicle front structure according to an exemplary form
of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line
A-A of FIG. 3;
[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a state in which a
front side member and a front end member in a vehicle front
structure according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure
are coupled;
[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line
B-B of FIG. 3;
[0031] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a state in which a
front side member, a front end member, a radiator support member,
and a front apron member in a vehicle front structure according to
an exemplary form of the present disclosure are coupled;
[0032] FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a front
end member and a radiator support member in a vehicle front
structure according to an exemplary form of the present
disclosure;
[0033] FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of a state in which a front
end member and a radiator support member in a vehicle front
structure according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure
are coupled;
[0034] FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a state in which a
front end member, a front side member, and a front apron member in
a vehicle front structure according to an exemplary form of the
present disclosure are coupled;
[0035] FIG. 11 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a front
end member and a front apron member in a vehicle front structure
according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure; and
[0036] FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a state in which a
front end member and a front apron member in a vehicle front
structure according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure
are coupled.
[0037] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes
only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure in any way.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and
is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or
uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings,
corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding
parts and features.
[0039] In addition, a detailed description of well-known techniques
associated with the present disclosure will be ruled out in order
not to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present
disclosure.
[0040] Terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used
to describe the elements in exemplary forms of the present
disclosure. These terms are only used to distinguish one element
from another element, and the intrinsic features, sequence or
order, and the like of the corresponding elements are not limited
by the terms. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein,
including technical or scientific tams, have the same meanings as
those generally understood by those with ordinary knowledge in the
field of art to which the present disclosure belongs. Such terms as
those defined in a generally used dictionary are to be interpreted
as having meanings equal to the contextual meanings in the relevant
field of art, and are not to be interpreted as having ideal or
excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined as having such
in the present application.
[0041] In this description, an "X-axis direction" refers to a
longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a "Y-axis direction" refers
to a width direction of the vehicle, and a "Z-axis direction"
refers to a height direction of the vehicle. An "inboard side"
refers to a portion of the vehicle facing the center of the
vehicle, and an "outboard side" refers to a portion of the vehicle
away from the center of the vehicle.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle front structure
according to an exemplary form of the present disclosure may
include a front side member 11 disposed on the front of the
vehicle, and a front end member 20 coupled to a front end of the
front side member 11.
[0043] The front side member 11 may extend along the X-axis
direction (the longitudinal direction of the vehicle). The pair of
front side members may be spaced apart from each other in the
Y-axis direction (the width direction of the vehicle) so that they
may be disposed on both left and right sides of the vehicle. For
convenience of explanation, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate only one front
side member disposed on the right side of the vehicle. A lower edge
of a damper housing 13 may be coupled to an upper surface of the
front side member 11.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 6, the front side member 11 may have a
plurality of reinforcing ribs 11b, and the reinforcing ribs 11b may
extend in a longitudinal direction of the front side member 11.
[0045] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the front end member 20 may have
a main body 21 and a lateral reinforcement portion 22 extending
from a lateral surface of the main body 21 in the Y-axis direction
(the width direction of the vehicle).
[0046] The main body 21 may have a tubular shape having an internal
space. The main body 21 may have a front opening and a rear
opening, and a partition 23 may be provided in the internal space
of the main body 21. The lateral reinforcement portion 22 may
extend toward the outboard side of the vehicle, and a flange 29
formed on a top front end of the main body 21 may extend along the
Y-axis direction.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 4, the internal space of the main body 21
may be divided into a front space and a rear space by the partition
23. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, a fastening nut 25 may be
integrally formed with the partition 23, and a fastening bolt (not
shown) may be fastened into the fastening nut 25 so that a subframe
15 may be firmly connected to the partition 23 of the front end
member 20.
[0048] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the lateral reinforcement
portion 22 may have a plurality of ribs 24 in an internal space
thereof, and each rib 24 may extend along the Y-axis direction. The
plurality of ribs 24 may be spaced apart from each other in the
Z-axis direction (the height direction of the vehicle). For
example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 7, the adjacent ribs 24 are
spaced apart from each other in the height direction. The ribs 24
may connect a side wall of the lateral reinforcement portion 22 and
a side wall of the main body 21. The plurality of ribs 24 may form
a load path for transmitting outboard side impact energy P.sub.out,
which is transmitted from the outboard side of the vehicle on the
basis of the front side member 11, to the front side member 11.
Referring to FIG. 1, impact energy generated in a frontal collision
of the vehicle may be divided into inboard side impact energy
P.sub.in and the outboard side impact energy P.sub.out on the basis
of the main body 21 and the front side member 11. The lateral
reinforcement portion 22 may smoothly transmit the outboard side
impact energy P.sub.out to the front side member 11 through the
plurality of ribs 24, and the main body 21 may smoothly transmit
the inboard side impact energy P.sub.in to the front side member
11.
[0049] According to an exemplary form, the front end member 20 may
be manufactured by a high-vacuum die-casting method so that the
main body 21 and the lateral reinforcement portion 22 may be formed
as a unitary one-piece structure.
[0050] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the front end member 20 may have
a receiving space 26 in which the front end of the front side
member 11 is received, and the receiving space 26 may be the rear
space of the main body 21 which is divided by the partition 23. The
front end of the front side member 11 may be fitted into the
receiving space 26 of the front end member 20 so that the front
side member 11 may be aligned with the main body 21 of the front
end member 20.
[0051] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, the main body 21 may have a
retention protrusion 27 which protrudes from the inner surface of
the main body 21 inwardly toward the center of the receiving space
26, and the retention protrusion 27 may be disposed to be adjacent
to the partition 23. The front side member 11 may be received in
the receiving space 26, and a front end surface 11a of the front
side member 11 may be overlapped and joined to the retention
protrusion 27. That is, the front end surface 11a of the front side
member 11 may be coupled to the retention protrusion 27 of the
front end member 20 by butt welding. Thus, the front end member 20
and the front side member 11 may stably support a load transmitted
in the X-axis direction so that the vehicle front structure
according to the exemplary form of the present disclosure may
increase or maximize stiffness with respect to the X-axis
direction.
[0052] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, the front end member 20 may have
a mounting projection 30 formed on an upper surface of the lateral
reinforcement portion 22, and the mounting projection 30 may extend
along the Z-axis direction (the height direction of the vehicle).
The mounting projection 30 may be connected to the flange 29 of the
main body 21 to provide support stiffness. The mounting projection
30 may have a first wall 31 which is offset from a front end of the
lateral reinforcement portion 22 toward a rear end of the lateral
reinforcement portion 22, and a pair of second walls 32 disposed on
both sides of the first wall 31. The first wall 31 may extend along
the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction to be located on a
plane determined by the Y-axis and the Z-axis. The pair of second
walls 32 may extend along the X-axis direction and the Z-axis
direction to be located on a plane determined by the X-axis and the
Z-axis. One of the second walls 32 may be integrally connected to
the flange 29. A lower end of a radiator support member 41 may be
overlapped and joined to the mounting projection 30 so that the
radiator support member 41 and the mounting projection 30 may be
coupled by butt welding. The radiator support member 41 may extend
from an upper member 43 of a vehicle body main frame, and the
radiator support member 41 may serve to support a radiator. The
radiator support member 41 may extend along the Z-axis direction.
Thus, the radiator support member 41 and the front end member 20
may stably support a load transmitted in the Z-axis direction so
that the vehicle front structure according to the exemplary form of
the present disclosure may increase or maximize stiffness with
respect to the Z-axis direction.
[0053] Referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, the front end member 20 may
have an abutting surface 50 formed on a rear surface of the lateral
reinforcement portion 22, and a lower end 42a of a front apron
member 42 may be overlapped and joined the abutting surface 50 of
the front end member 20 by butt welding. The abutting surface 50
may have a first contact surface 51 and a second contact surface
52, and the first contact surface 51 and the second contact surface
52 may intersect at a predetermined angle. The first contact
surface 51 may extend along the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis
direction to be located on a plane determined by the Z-axis and the
Y-axis, and the second contact surface 52 may extend along the
Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction to be located on a plane
determined by the Z-axis and the X-axis. According to an exemplary
form, the first contact surface 51 may intersect with the Y-axis
direction at a predetermined angle, and the second contact surface
52 may intersect with the X-axis direction at a predetermined
angle.
[0054] The lower end 42a of the front apron member 42 may have a
structure corresponding to the first contact surface 51 and the
second contact surface 52 of the abutting surface 50. The lower end
42a of the front apron member 42 may have a portion extending along
the Y-axis direction and a portion extending along the X-axis
direction. Thus, the front apron member 42 and the front end member
20 may stably support a load transmitted in the Y-axis direction
and the X-axis direction so that the vehicle front structure
according to the exemplary form of the present disclosure may
increase or maximize stiffness with respect to the Y-axis direction
and the X-axis direction.
[0055] In addition, a plurality of support ribs 28 may connect
between a rear wall of the lateral reinforcement portion 22 and an
outer surface of the main body 21. Each support rib 28 may extend
from the rear wall of the lateral reinforcement portion 22 to the
outer surface of the main body 21, and may have a triangular
structure. The lower end 42a of the front apron member 42 may be
coupled to the abutting surface 50 of the lateral reinforcement
portion 22 by butt welding so that support stiffness of the lateral
reinforcement portion 22 may be secured by the plurality of support
ribs 28.
[0056] According to exemplary forms of the present disclosure, the
front side member 11 may be coupled to the main body 21 of the
front end member 20 by butt welding or the like to be aligned,
thereby improving stiffness with respect to the X-axis direction
(the longitudinal direction of the vehicle); the radiator support
member 41 may be coupled to the mounting projection 30 of the front
end member 20 by butt welding or the like, thereby improving
stiffness with respect to the Z-axis direction (the height
direction of the vehicle); and the front apron member 42 may be
coupled to the rear surface of the front end member 20 by butt
welding or the like, thereby improving stiffness with respect to
the Y-axis direction (the width direction of the vehicle). In other
words, the vehicle front structure according to the exemplary forms
of the present disclosure may improve stiffness with respect to the
three axial directions using the front end member 20, thereby
reducing the running noise of the vehicle.
[0057] In addition, the front side member 11 may be coupled to the
main body 21, and the radiator support member 41 and the front
apron member 42 may be coupled to the lateral reinforcement portion
22, so that the impact energy generated in the frontal collision of
the vehicle may be dispersed into the inboard side impact energy
P.sub.in and the outboard side impact energy P.sub.out on the basis
of the main body 21 and the front side member 11. In particular,
the lateral reinforcement portion 22 may smoothly transmit the
outboard side impact energy P.sub.out to the front side member 11
through the plurality of ribs 24, and the main body 21 may smoothly
transmit the inboard side impact energy P.sub.in to the front side
member 11.
[0058] As set forth above, the vehicle front structure according to
exemplary forms of the present disclosure may improve stiffness
with respect to the X-axis direction (the longitudinal direction of
the vehicle) by coupling the front side member to the main body of
the front end member by butt welding or the like to be aligned,
improve stiffness with respect to the Z-axis direction (the height
direction of the vehicle) by coupling the radiator support member
to the mounting projection of the front end member by butt welding
or the like, and improve stiffness with respect to the Y-axis
direction (the width direction of the vehicle) by coupling the
front apron member to the rear surface of the front end member by
butt welding or the like. In other words, the vehicle front
structure according to the exemplary forms of the present
disclosure may improve stiffness with respect to the three axial
directions using the front end member, thereby reducing running
noise of the vehicle.
[0059] According to exemplary forms of the present disclosure, the
front side member may be coupled to the main body, and the radiator
support member and the front apron member may be coupled to the
lateral reinforcement portion, so that impact energy generated in
the frontal collision of the vehicle may be dispersed into the
inboard side impact energy P.sub.in and the outboard side impact
energy P.sub.out. In particular, the lateral reinforcement portion
may smoothly transmit the outboard side impact energy P.sub.out to
the front side member through the plurality of ribs, and the main
body may smoothly transmit the inboard side impact energy P.sub.in
to the front side member.
[0060] According to exemplary forms of the present disclosure, the
main body and the lateral reinforcement portion of the front end
member may be formed as a unitary one-piece structure, thereby
significantly reducing the manufacturing cost and weight.
[0061] Hereinabove, although the present disclosure has been
described with reference to exemplary forms and the accompanying
drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, but may be
variously modified and altered by those skilled in the art to which
the present disclosure pertains without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present disclosure.
* * * * *